Ventus Et Ignus
by Ca11umism
Summary: Escaping an assassination attempt on her wedding day, Lady Sakura Haruno flees into the wilds with her guard and a servant who saved her life, intent on warning the High Council of her betrothed's plans to take over the Kingdoms. Along the way, she finds herself in the company of a group of Rangers, one of which has a terrible secret and will play a part in the great war to come.
1. Chapter 1: Matrimonium

**A/N:** _Thanks for reading!...YOu better review or I will eat your toenails. Just joking, but I want to get a few things clear about this story._

**1)** _Konoha is a Realm in this, and Konoha Gate is the capital. The other villages will be various kingdoms._

**2)** _I will often change from first to third person. There will be a few characters who have first person moments, just so I can show the character's thoughts a little more clearly. These moments will be indicated by (1.P) for first person, and (3.P) for third._

**3)** _It's influenced by 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' and 'The Lord of The Rings', so much so that some scenes may be reminiscent of those, and one of the character's stories will mimic that of a lead character in 'TLOTR'._

_That's all for now, I may add a few others down the track, so pay attention. READ, REVIEW and keep your smiles gleaming._

**~VENTUS ET IGNIS~**

_**CHAPTER 1:** Matrimonium_

_(1.P)_

A glance out through the window on my left, to the cluster of men, women and children who have gathered for the celebration seals my decision. My marriage to the head of the Shimura household would give my people their much needed peace. A luxury in which they have yet to receive since my father's death. I still wish my virtue wasn't the price for my people's safety, though I shall still pay in full. And I shall hold my head high the whole time.

The mirror that forms the backboard of my vanity gives me a glimpse of the woman that the Lord will be marrying. It's not me. At least not on the outside. My hair dyed that furious pink, my green eyes lined with the thick black Kohl. I am no longer the Lady of the east-as my people chose to call me-I am now the wife of a cold hearted Lord. Nothing more.

It tears me up inside, knowing that by the end of the day, my family line, my pure blood, would be no longer relevant within the five kingdoms. Well, _four_ kingdoms. All that belonged to my family-the hundreds of hectares of farm land, the small mountain range that protected our stead from the harsh winds in the winter, the six thousand men who fought under the Haruno's white circle-and even the white circle itself-would now fall under the black root of Shimura. Even my precious name would be worthless after today.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of my former guard, massing at a collection of carts in the field just beyond the wall. Within the carts, dozens of Shimura's men stand, passing out the new iron breastplates to replace my family's own; ones that bore the Black Root to symbolize their allegience to their new lord. I suppose they're better off. The iron will protect them more than the rough leather that the Haruno armour was forged from.

"M'lady?..."

The voice garners a look over my left shoulder, where I find my lady in waiting, Ino, the girl I only remembered because of the dazzling blue eyes that she always made me look into as she did my hair and makeup, standing in the doorway. "Am I bothering you?."

"No."

I turn back to the mirror and watch silently in the reflection as the young woman approaches, carrying a clay bowl filled with fragrant water which sloshes around and splashes her sleeves as she walks. She lies it down on the vanity to my right and dries her wet hands on her apron, then looks at my face in the mirror, smiling to me. "You look beautiful...if I may say."

I smile softly, lowering my eyes from hers to my own reflected in the mirror.

"I think he's going to be very happy with you." she begins playing with my hair, running her fingers along the side and pulling the pink strands behind my ears. "Is there anything I can get for you?...to make you a little more comfortable?"

I shake my head slightly, whispering the words "No thank you" as I do so.

Ino looks at my sunken face in the mirror again. "Are you not excited about your engagement M'lady?"

I lift my gaze to her yet again, and she immediately pulls her hands from my hair and walks to my side, dipping her fingers into the frangrant water and retrieving a cloth that she wrings out. "I apologize...it's not my place." comes from her lips as she does so. She shakes out the last few drops from the cloth into the bowl and begins to gently wipe the moisture on my collar bone, the scent of cherry blossoms rubbing off onto my skin.

"It's alright Ino," The feeling of the cool cloth as the girl drags it along my neckline is pleasantly soothing. "I'm just not in the highest of spirits at the moment." Ino nods. I notice her eyes sadden as I watch her in the mirror. It is comforting to have someone feel for me.

"May I ask why?"

I inhale. "I feel I'm betraying my people even though I know it is what's best for them." Ino stops the rubbing against my neck for a brief moment, but quickly goes back to work.

"How?"

I watch her in the mirror as she works gently on my neck and collar bone. "My family name has always been a staple within Konoha's lands. For generations, my ancestors protected the South East ocean banks...preventing three attacks upon the Northerners...but all of that will be void after today. My family accomplishments will mean nothing and be wiped from history."

"People will still remember m'lady." the blonde says in a failed attempt at comforting me, taking the cloth from my skin and dipping it into the water again.

"Not in the history books...it will be rewritten as the old family that married into Shimura's who prevented the massacre of the Northeners, not the Haruno."

The girl nods to indicate that I have her attention.

"Your family is legend to Konoha M'lady..." she says after a brief silence as she wrings out the cloth. "No matter what happens, the name Haruno shall be etched in stone for the rest of time...regardless of what marriage declares."

The words are refreshing. You wouldn't expect a servant to have such a keen knowledge of language, but stranger things have happened. "Thank you Ino." I say. The girl smiles a lovely grin to me, and lays the cloth down in the bowl.

"You words please me M'lady," she walks around and takes my pink hair again, beginning to style it for the ceremony. "I mean look at the Uchiha...the crown prince kills thousands but they don't wipe his name from the an..."

"Now that isn't your buisness." I cut in sternly. My words make the girl's mouth snap shut, and her eyes drop to my hair.

After a few minutes of silence, she whispers _"I'm sorry my lady."_ and I forgive her. I choose not to speak again though. We stay like that until we are summoned for the ceremony a short while later.

**~0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0~**

_(3.P)_

Sakura's heavily kohled eyes drifted over the crowd of guests within the high chamber. Representitives from all over the realm had gathered for the wedding celebrations; though she doubted that many of gave a damn about the union itself, and just came to win favor from Lord Shimura.

From where she stood, she made out a herald from the Hyuga elves, dressed in a oak coloured cloak with his hair hanging down his back. Sakura immediately came to the conclusion that the elf was part of the branch house; Elves not born of the royal bloodline, as she had heard ledends that members of the main house never left the forrest for fear of assasination by their many enemies.

Sitting a few seats in front of the elf was an even more impressive sight. A stubby, chubby little dwarf stood with his chest puffed out. Dressed in a Burgundy tunic with a heavy leather belt hanging around his waist, his hair was a mass of redish brown spikes that hung over his head like a lions mane, and his pale, jowled face had two purple marks upon them; one on each cheek. This exicted Sakura-in fact, this was the first thing that had excited her since the announcement of her marriage. She had always had a fascination with Dwarves; they were a mystery to her, hiding away in their mines and rarely coming up.

"My lady?," her kohl laced eyes widened as Ino approached her. "Are you alright?,"

"I'm fine. Where's Danzou?"

Ino lifted the tail of her gown."It's Shimura tradition that the betrothed enter female first during weddings. It's symbolic, represents the wives submission to her husbands wishes."

She lowered her green eyes to the floor, focusing on the point where her hand woven silk gown had pooled at her feet, trying to quell her pride at the thought of 'belonging' to Shimura. It was a beautiful elven dress that the Lord had sent for weeks back; from what Sakura had heard, it had taken several dozen elves to complete, and that they still had worked endlessly for over a fortnight to do so.

The orchestral music began, and Ino followed Sakura up the aisle, careful not to tread on the delicate fabric of her dress. The pastor smiled to Sakura as she took her spot at the altar, then put all his focus on her new husband as he entered. Danzou seemed to be in a rush as he navigated the aisle, his wrinkling, scarred face stern as he took place beside his bride, not even looking at the much younger woman. "Begin," he said, his voice showing frustration.

The pastor nodded and looked around to the guests. "Men and women, elves, dwarves and other esteemed guests, we are here to celebrate the union of not only a man and a woman, but two houses. Bonded together for eternity in love and utter devot-"

"Speed up." Danzou muttered.

The pastor nodded. "Why wait?," he grinned. "Guests, if you might stand for the committals," the few dozen guests stood from their seats as Danzou and Sakura turned to each other. "Lord Danzou, fifty third ruler of the Shimura household, do you take Lady Sakura, first female head of the Haruno household, in marriage, in love, sickness, life and death, until the day you die?,"

"I do." Danzou muttered, looking over Sakura's head.

"Lady Sakura, first female head of the Haruno household, do you pledge yourself to Lord Danzou, fifty third head of the Shimura house hold, in love, sickness, life and death, until the day you die?,"

Sakura breathed in. "I do."

The pastor put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Very well. Under this roof, in the presence of your esteemed guests, I pronounce you man and wife." Danzou took Sakura's hand and the two turned to their guests, walking down through the pews and out into the entry hall, where hundreds of commoners and members of Danzou and Sakura's guard had gathered. As they descended through their people, the men and women bowed to their ruler and his new wife. Sakura watched as she recognised members of her former guard-now clad in their Shimura armour-bowing to their new lord. She'd never made her people bow to her, she found it degrading, but she had no say in the matter now.

The traditional wedding feast that Danzou's advisor had set up for the newlyweds and their guests was mostly uneventful. Danzou never said a word to Sakura the whole time. In fact the only time he even acknowledged her presence was when they took part in the traditional dance at the end of the evening, when they were the only two allowed on the dance floor. Then, after the gift givin, in which Sakura received more presents than she could ever even hope to use, He stood up and left without a word.

Sakura, on the other hand, sat at the dining table, nursing a cup of cinnamon wine. She had never expected Danzou to be the most affectionate of men, but to be ignored completely by her husband on their wedding day was too much. What was even worse than being treated as if she weren't there; if such thing were possible, was the fact that Sakura knew what her evening held. The consumation of her marriage.

It made her sick to her stomach, knowing her first time would be with a cold, bitter man who clearly had no appreciation for her, and her thoughts dwelled on her loss of purity for a good few hours, until the hall was almost deserted apart from a few servants taking half eaten fowls and swine legs back to the kitchens.

Sakura didn't move the whole time, in fear of what awaited her in her bedchamber when she did. By the end of the evening, only Sakura and the two members of her personal guard-Lee and Nara-were left in the hall. When she did leave though-a little after midnight-she went straight to her chamber to fufill her promise, her head held high as she pushed open the door. Danzou wasn't there. She assumed he was still doing his duties, which didn't surprise her. Danzou had shown her no respect the entire day, it'd be foolish of her to think he'd start now.

She stripped off her dress, her body tingling as the cool air of her room crawled across her skin, and climbed beneath the wolf pelt blanket upon her bed, waiting for her husband to come and claim her.

He never did.

**~0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0~**

Sakura couldn't tell how long she'd been asleep when Ino came to her.

"M'lady," the blonde whispered, waking Sakura from her sleep with hesitance in her voice and fear in her eyes."We need to go."

"Ino, what's wrong?"

The blonde looked her lady in the eyes, breathing heavily.

_'FLASHBACK'_

Ino hummed as she soaked her lady's linens. As a servant, she had to leave Lady Sakura right after the ceremony, head down to her chambers, and replace the linens on her bed before Lady Sakura returned. Now she was soaking them in a pot of scalding hot water out on a balcony, and hanging them from a switch fixed into the space between two walls, where hopefully, the cool winds would dry them off before morning.

The humming had kept her mind off the cold winds, allowing the girl's mind to stay focused on her task without abandoning it half way through. What it didn't help her with though, was hearing the footsteps of a group of people heading up the hall. The girl fell silent when she did hear them, but by then the footsteps were just outside the door.

"My lord, I understand your view, but to commit such an act on your wedding day would be too suspicious, to murder your wife before your guests have even left..."

"Yes, and that is why it is not your duty to ponder such things, is it?," the deep voice of Lord Shimura cut in, filling the blonde girl with dread. "As soon as the last guests have retired, I want Torune to sneak into her room and slice her neck..." Ino edged to the crack in the door, peering out to see the Lord with his guards and an advisor. "Then tomorrow we'll blame Namikaze's consort for her death, and her men will join me to overthrow the council. Understood?"

The advisor seemed horrified at the lord's plan. "My lord, I just fear the reprocussions. If it is discovered what we've done..."

"If you aren't fit to carry out my orders, I'm sure I can find another advisor. Of course, then they'll be no need for you in my kingdom," Danzou threatened, venom in his eyes.

Terror covered the advisor's face. "N-no, my lord, I understand your orders, consider them done." he smiled, still clearly scared.

Danzou and his guard turned and walked up the hall, leaving the advisor. "Good, I want the girl dead by morning."

"Understood, my lord..."

_'END OF FLASHBACK'_

Sakura's eyes widened as the girl told her story. When Ino finished, Sakura could do nothing but look at her servant with terror in her eyes. "Are you sure Ino?," she asked after a moment. The blonde girl nodded, even more scared than Sakura. "Well, then we'll tell someone, we'll tell the elf, or the dwarf, They'll help us..."

"The Elf?, m'lady, he's a branch elf, he has no right to make decisions, and the dwarves want Shimura on their side, they wouldn't help us if you payed them a thousand rubies."

Sakura looked down to the pelt on her bed, thoughts of what her husband had planned to do swimming in her mind. She was about to speak again, to tell Ino to go get her guard, but the sounds of footsteps outside her door caught their attention.

"It's him," Ino whispered, on the verge of tears.

_"Get behind the mirror!"_ Sakura said quickly, falling back into bed and pretending to be asleep. Ino did as she was told, and watched from the shadows as the door opened, bathing the room in a pale golden glow. Ino caught sight of Shimura's guardian, Torune, slip his fingers into his belt and retrieve a long dagger, it's silver blade gleaming in the light from the hall, before Torune closed the door, sending the room dark again.

The assassin crept towards Sakura and raised the blade above his head. Ino took her chance and dived from behind the mirror, crashing into the dark figure and, luckily, sent the man tumbling into the chair in the corner. The crash brought Sakura from her feint and she sat up to see her servant, tears in her eyes, standing over the assassin, who scrambled back to his feet and immediately grabbed the blonde's throat.

"Stupid whore," he growled, raising his blade to the girl. Sakura let out a cry, one that should have woken the entire castle. The assasin turned to her, his hand still grasping Ino's throat, and pointed the blade at Sakura's face. "You shut your mouth," he snapped. Sakura went to scream again, but this time the assassin pushed forward, sending the tip of his blade into Sakura's cheek. Sakura let out a whelp and grasped her face, as a thin streak of blood began to flow from her cheek.

The assasin lifted his blade again, this time to bring it down on Sakura, and Ino, in a moment of genius, reached for the bowl of fragrant water on the mirror board, swinging it into the back of the assassin's head. The bowl smashed with the contact, sending broken pieces of clay over the bed and floor. The assassin released his grip on Ino's throat, and let the blade drop from his hands into Sakura's lap, grasping at the cut the bowl had made on his head.

With tears in her eyes, Ino snatched up the dagger from her ladies bed and thrust out at Torune, stabbing him in the back and sending the man silent. His body went limp, and he fell forward over onto the wolf's pelt, stone dead.

"Ino?" Sakura gasped, still cradling her face. She slipped from the bed still naked, and wrapped her free arm around the crying girl.

"I-I _killed_ him...I stabbed him," the blonde whimpered. "Danzou will have my head for this!"

"It's alright Ino, it's okay." Sakura said, doing her best to comfort the girl.

"_M'LADY?,"_ the voice of her guard, Nara, came up the hall and after a moment, he and his partner Lee burst through the door, swords drawn and at the ready. "what happened?" he asked, eyeing the body lying on the bed, then the two young women, one crying uncontrollably and the other naked and grasping her face.

"Close the door." Sakura said. Lee did as he was told and took guard as Nara went over to survey the body.

"What happened?" he asked again, checking the assassin's pulse.

"Danzou tried to kill me."

Lee's eyes widened, and Nara's just looked at her. "Why?"

"Ino said it was because he wanted my men to join him in a march on the council."

"Damn," Nara muttered, grasping the blade wedged in Torune's back and pulling it from the body. "I knew it. This wedding was trouble from the very beginning." he wiped the blade on the dead man's tunic and surveyed the blade.

"What'll we do?" Lee asked from his post. His brown eyes were as wide as saucers as he watched Sakura, who realised he was looking at her nude body.

"Look away." she snapped. Lee's eyes dropped, and Sakura climbed from the bed to pull a dress over her head. "I have to go." she said, pulling her laces tight over her chest. "I have to get the men back East."

"They can't go m'lady," Lee said. "They've taken an oath. Lord Danzou could have them killed if they went with you."

"That shouldn't stop them from serving their lady." Nara said to his partner, annoyed.

"Then what'll she do?," Lee asked. "She can't just kill Danzou. And if she does go back east, he'll surely send hunters after her."

"No, I can't. But what I can do is head to the gate. I can warn the council about Shimura's plans." Sakura said. All three of her subjects looked to her. "If I leave, Danzou will think I've headed East, and send men that way. But if I turn North, over the mountains, I can make it to Konoha Gate by the next full moon."

"And what of your men m'lady?" Nara asked her.

"I won't put them in danger," Sakura said. "Most have families back home, and some have hardly seen their twenty-first birthdays."

"Very well, we'll need to be gone well before sunrise. Lee, head to the kitchens and gather some food. I want to be gone within the hour." Lee nodded, then slipped out the door and off down the hall.

"Nara, you're not coming." Lady Sakura said. "I'll not put you at risk."

"Risk is part of my duty m'lady," Nara said firmly. "I'll get you to the gate, or I'll die getting you there." Sakura smiled at her guard's honourable words, then bent over to look Ino in the eyes. The girl still hadn't gotten over the fact she'd just staked a man.

"Ino?, Ino, we have to go."

"I don't have anywhere to go," the blonde said. "I was born here. Lord Danzou with take my fingers, then my head." she whimpered.

Nara leant down next to Sakura. "Listen to me," he said, reaching under the girl's chin and lifting her to look in her eyes. "If you stay here, you will die," Ino whimpered again at the words. "But if you come with us now, I promise you that I will protect you with my life. Do you understand?" the two looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then she nodded.

"Okay...Okay." she said softly. Nara nodded, then stood up and walked over to the door.

"M'lady, get some things. Make sure they're warm. You'll need them." Sakura nodded, then went over to her oak chest, opening it to reveal the thick woollen travelling cloak she'd worn on the trip down here. She'd pulled it out and reached into the trunk again, taking some riding pants from the bottom of the trunk, and a satin tunic with the Haruno circle embroidered on the left breast.

She got dressed quickly, and gave Ino a spare cloak to wear. It would keep her warm over the plains. But she wasn't sure how it would hold against the winds atop the mountains. Then the two took up satchels and headed with Nara down to the kitchens, where they met Lee, who'd gathered enough supplies for the four of them.

They made it from the kitchens through the portcullis and into the village, where some of the villagers and Sakura's men slept by firepits in the streets. It wasn't hard to make it through the groups silently, most were drunk, and then they slipped through the gate without being spotted by the guards. "This way," Nara said, leading them down the road from the castle gate and up the North fork.

"Move with haste. We have many leagues to go before we reach the mountains."

**~0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0~**

**A/N:** _Okay, so that was the first chapter. Tell me what you think please. Any feedback at all would be appreciated. THANKS._


	2. Chapter 2: Hawks of the North

**A/N:** _I want to thank the four reviewers for their reviews. You gave me such praise for only one chapter, I was a little scared to update because I feared it would all go down hill. I hope I can live up to your standards, thankyou._

**ENJOY!.**

**_-CHAPTER 2: HAWKS OF THE NORTH-_**

"Over there M'lady," Nara called over the wind, pointing to a faint orange glow in the far distance. "See that?, that's the signal fire of Konoha Gate, we're getting closer."

Sakura followed her guard's finger with her eyes, barely able to make out the signal through the heavy snow and fog that the gods had chosen to cast over the mountain today. "How far is it?" the noble girl asked.

"I'm not sure M'lady," the guard replied, turning back from the cliff edge and onto the dirt path that guided them on their journey. "But we have no time to waste if we want to reach the Gate by the new moon." Nara bent his head down against the wind and continued on along the path, Ino and Lee following him. Lady Sakura took another glance to the glow; it seemed to grow dimmer as she watched it, then pulled her woollen cloak a tad tighter over her shoulders and headed after her companions.

Eight days had come and gone since they'd escaped Shimura's hold, and the trip had not been kind to Sakura or her servants. Without any spare clothing, they'd had to make do with the stitches on their backs, which became increasingly irritating after an incident that occured during their navigation of a swamp five days before. Sakura had found herself in a mudpit by accident and, as a result, brown and black mud now caked her boots and the insides of her thighs, chafing the girl's soft skin until it was red raw with every step.

From the mudpit, they'd climbed a hillface into the village Tetsu, where Nara and Lee had sold their Iron breastplates and gauntlets from Shimura's armory to the blacksmith in exchange for three dozen sovereigns, which Nara scoffed at, claiming thievery, but accepted anyways for lack of time. With their newly found coin Nara had stocked up on fresh water and supplies that would aid them through the mountain ranges, as well as a oilstone to sharpen his and Lee's blades in case they met any trouble.

Traversing a mountain wasn't something Lady Sakura would declare 'good sport'. The dirt paths came and went in every direction, making it impossible for Sakura to determine the right path. Nara seemed content with his orienteering though, and she placed her trust in her guard's word, but she couldn't help but grow uneasy with each turn they made. What made the journey worse was the endless winds. Her pale face stung horribly as each gust came through the trees and cut against her skin, so much so that she had resorted to holding her head down and leaving her woollen cloak's hood to shield her from the onslaught at all times.

A few hundred paces from the cliffside where Nara spotted the signal flame, they came to another edge. This one overlooked a small valley, a river sitting at the bottom frozen over by the winters. They found two wooden posts, drapped in weathered ropes, at the very edge. They made out two more on the other side of the ravine, it's tattered ropes flailing viciously in the winds. "The winds have torn the bridge from it's place," Lee called over the cutting wind, his voice showing his fatigue. "There's no way across."

Nara left them for a moment, walking along the cliff edge in both directions, looking for another bridge. "Lee's right," he said when he returned, annoyed. "This is the only way to the other side of the Wolves without heading over the peak."

Lady Sakura pondered their situation for a moment. "How long would it take to head over the peak?"

"It would add days to our journey, but that's not my worry,"

Lady Sakura nodded for him to continue. "I've never scaled the peaks of these mountains before M'lady," he said, doubt in his voice. "With the winters, we could get lost easily, and there are no settlements out here."

"We have no choice," the noble woman said. "We head over the mountain."

"M'lady," Nara tried to reason with her. "I understand your haste, but the odds of us making it over the peak are nil-"

"Nara," the pink haired noble cut in. "You have your orders. Lead on." Nara looked as if he was about to protest again, but only nodded, took up his pack, and turned northward.

Another two days past, making it four in total since they'd first started up the Three Wolves. Their new trail lead them over a waterfall and into a delapidated camp,  
clearly one that was used by the Uchihan army generations back. It was decided that they'd spend the night there, and head back onto the trail the next morning. So,  
Ino and Lee went about scavenging the campsite, and Nara and Lady Sakura headed out into the wild to catch some rabbits for dinner.

Nara lead the noble southward, down the mountain face. "Rabbits burrow into the sides of mountains to protect their homes from the wind," he said, and, as he'd said, they found a collective of burrow entrances by a cliff edge, this one overlooking part of the mountain that had clealy been in an avalanche. "we'll need some sticks," her guardian told her. "Search around here M'lady, any strong switches will do." She nodded, and watched as Nara disappeared into the treeline.

The noble girl went to work, taking up any twigs she could find. Within minutes, she had a small faggot collected, and lay them down by one of the burrow entrances.  
She took a seat by her bundle, and pulled her now weather worn cloak a little tighter over her shoulders. Minutes went by, and Nara hadn't returned. Lady Sakura considered heading into the treeline after him, but feared losing her way. She had never climbed these mountains before, and knew that if she lost herself in the forrest, she'd never leave.

_'RRRRH'_

A growl from behind her tore the girl from her stupor. She span on her backside and looked up the hill to the most terrifying sight imaginable. No more than thirty paces from her, a large, orange furred hound stood. It's eyes shone in the daylight like black diamonds, and were glued to Sakura's form. A bloodcurdling snarl revealed a series of pointed yellowed teeth, drenched in the beast's slobber and the gleaming blood of a recent kill. It sniffed out at her and took a cautious step down the mountain side, towards the defenseless girl.

Lady Sakura, speechless, stood up and began backing down the hill, her eyes stuck to the advancing beast. It didn't speed up it's approach, but kept it's path towards her.

Sakura's thoughts speed through her head. 'Escape,' she told herself. 'Find Nara, he'll protect you," she took a step to the left, but stopped suddenly when she saw another one of the creatures, this one much smaller than the first, slipping through the treeline towards her. She stepped back once again, and found herself on her back as her heel caught itself in an upended tree root.

The second beast, the one to her left, took it's chance and leapt at her. It's sheer size blocked out the daylight as it bounded toward her. Sakura covered her face with her hand, closed her eyes and began begging the gods for mercy, but knew inside that this was her end.

'_FWIP'_

The twanging sound of a bow releasing an arrow split the air, followed by a howl. Sakura opened her eyes to find the smaller orange wolf on it's side in the grass a few feet from her, blood gushing from a wound just beneath it's front leg. The green feathered end of an arrow could be seen embedded in it's side. The wounded beast whimpered, tried to regain it's feet, but the arrow had pierced the soft tendons in it's side, leaving the hound helpless.

Lady Sakura looked up to the treeline, amazed. From between the thick brush two cloaked figures emerged, bows raised. One released an arrow at the larger hound. The beast sprang away down the mountain side, onto the same path Nara had taken only a short time ago."STAY DOWN," one of the cloaked figures called to her, vaulting an upturned tree. He reached beneath his cloak and produced a large, double-headed waraxe, bringing it down on the wounded beast's neck with one swift movement. The blade near severed the hound's head in one blow, burying itself into the flesh and bone with a foul _crunch_ and ending the beast's suffering.

The second figure ran right past Sakura after the first hound, disappearing into the brush and out of sight. The axe-wielding figure braced his foot upon the lifeless body of his fresh kill and wrenched his weapon from the hound's throat. "Are you alright?," the man asked from beneath his hood, draping his bow over his shoulder and offering his hand to the noble.

"Ye-yes, thankyou," Lady Sakura replied, taking the figure's hand and climbing to her feet. "Thanky-"

"No time for talk miss," the figure said, turning on his heels and heading up the mountain. "The rest of my squad are watching over your friends back at the old Uchiha encampment,"

Sakura took off after him, but then remembered Nara. "WAIT," she gasped. "My guard, he went off down mountain to look for-"

"The captain will find him, believe me," the figure said, turning to her and taking her wrist."My orders are to get you back to that camp safely." Sakura wanted to turn after her guardian, but decided against it, and followed the cloaked man into the forrest.

They found Ino at the entrance to the camp. A third cloaked figure was with her, kneeling in the dirt with his bow raised, an arrow strung. Four more arrows were angled into the dirt next to him."Suigetsu," the cloak who'd saved Sakura called as they approached, "How's his leg?"

'His leg?,' Lady Sakura thought, "Whose leg?" she asked Ino, only now noticing that the blonde girl had tears in her eyes.

"Lee," she whimpered. "One of those big wolves bit him!"

"They're not wolves," the cloak called Suigetsu said, pulling his spare arrows from the dirt and slipping them back into his quiver. "They're _Kyuubi_. Foxes birthed of a wolf mother." he turned on the spot and headed into the camp, where a fire had been set alight in front of one of the huts.

"We've been tracking them for nearly a week," Sakura's saviour said, gesturing them to follow Suigetsu, "There's been an increase of them over the last two summers, and we've had to start culling them so they won't wander down into the villages-"

"One of them took a child last spring," Suigetsu cut in, "The captain and Karin found his leg in a paddock less than a hour from the village.

Lady Sakura's stomach became uneasy. The thought that the same thing could have happened to her was terrifying. Inside the hut, they found Lee on an old cot, pain in his face and another cloak tending to his left leg. "Lee!...By gods, what happened?" the noble girl knelt down to her guard's side. The leather pant leg had been torn from the shin to just above the knee, and a vile gash was visible, seeping scarlett tears over the bed.

Lee opened his mouth to speak, but the third cloak spoke before he had a chance. "Don't talk, it's a waste of energy," this voice was a woman's, young and somewhat shrill. She lowered her hood to reveal a head of cardinal hair, cut just beneath the ears; no doubt for travelling. Her face was thin and pale, with pinkened cheeks from the sharp wind. She looked at Lady Sakura with a pair of dark eyes, then over Sakura's shoulder to her cohorts. "Juugo, where's the captain?"

Lady Sakura's saviour lowered his hood. His face was hard and weather worn, with bright orange hair and a crooked nose. He ought to have been frightening, but his eyes had such a sweetness in them, a kindness that put the young noble at ease. "The pack leader cut away from us. The captain went after it alone."

The female cloak looked as if Juugo had called her a foul name. "You let him go after it alone?," Juugo nodded, "What kind of fool are you?"

"The captain's a finer warrior than any of us Karin," Suigetsu said. He too lowered his hood. His hair was a pale shade of violet, his eyes cyan. He looked very young,  
perhaps even younger than Lady Sakura's own nineteen years. "He could kill a whole pack himself if he wanted. And still have the heart to take on a _Shukaku_." Karin just gave him a bitter look, and turned back to the injured Lee, wrapping his leg in a linen dressing.

"Will he be alright?," Ino asked. Her hands were clasped together over her breast as she watched Lee writhe in pain. "He's not going to die is he?"

Karin shook her head. "This mountain air won't do him any good though. I don't have enough herbs to heal him properly, either. He needs real aid if he wants to keep his leg."

"How long does he have?"

"Three days before it begins to fester, maybe four seeing as I got to him so quickly."

Ino looked over to Lady Sakura. The noble knew her servant felt responsible. No doubt Lee had suffered trying to protect the blonde. "What can we do to slow infection?"

Karin just looked at her. "Perhaps a healing _jutsu_. It could give him another week."

"_Jutsu_?"

"Elf magic," Suigetsu said. "Karin lived in the Hyuga forrests for a short time."

Karin's life wasn't of concern to Lady Sakura at the moment. "What do we need?"

"Things we don't have out here. But I have the required ingredients back at the hold, we may be able to get there in time."

At their hold?, Lady Sakura thought. "Who are you?" with the recent events, she'd only now realised she had no clue who they were.

Juugo spoke up. "We're _Hebi_," he said in a calm voice.

"Hawks of the North..." Everyone looked to the doorway of the hut. Nara entered, his longsword drawn and stained in blood. Behind him stood the last cloak, the captain. He spoke in a quiet voice, serene and oddly cold. "We patrol the wolves and watch over the mountain villages." he lowered his hood. The lower half of his face was covered by a scarf, which he pulled down, revealing to Lady Sakura the most handsome man she'd ever seen. His hair was an impure coal color, short and messy. Sweat and melted snow had made it shine in the firelight. His eyes watched her like a raven, jet black and betraying no emotion. His face was impossibly beautiful, pale with sharp features, wide cheekbones and pink lips. He looked more like a hero from the stories Sakura's mother had told her when she was a babe, but he was clad in such dirty leathers that he seemed more like a beggar.

"M'lad-" Nara began, but Sakura cut him off.

"_Nara_!," she leapt in and hugged the guard. The pommel of his sword poked her in her sex, but she payed no attention. "_I am no lady out here_." she whispered in his ear. She didn't want her nobility recognised on their journey, she had said so in Tetsu.

"_Hato_," he said. Lady Sakura liked that name. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Lee is injured though." Nara turned his attention from his lady and to his partner. Nara cursed loudly.

"Will he be alright?"

Karin nodded."If we can get him to the hold by weeks end I should be able to help him." she spoke to the captain, not Nara. The Hebi eyed Lee's writhing form, then shook his head.

"The pack leader escaped us," he said. "I want it's head before we go back."

"The pack is broken," Suigetsu said. "I took both females myself. A male _Kyuubi_ can't hunt without a bitch."

The captain looked around then nodded. "Very well," he turned and left the hut. "I'll be back by morning. Be ready to travel right away." he fingered his bowstring to check it's tautness, then disappeared off into the forrest.

Lady Sakura's eyes grew thin. "What's he doing?" she asked, looking first to Suigetsu, then to Juugo.

"He's an arrogant bastard," Suigetsu replied. "No doubt he's going to kill the hound tonight."

And so it was. The captain returned the next morning with a half dozen of the beast's teeth, and three scrapes on his left breast. "It took nine arrows and I still had to put _Chidori_ through it's heart," he said in a way that made it seem as if he was happy with himself, even though his voice was still emotionless. He gave a tooth to each of them. The captain ordered Juugo to carry Lee, who Karin had put out with a concoction of herbs, and the eight set off again into the hills.

**0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0**


End file.
